House Speaker John Boehner defended Wednesday the bipartisan budget deal just unveiled in Congress, just as he ripped into the conservative groups pushing GOP lawmakers to oppose. "They're using our members and they're using the American people for their own goals," Boehner told reporters. "This is ridiculous." The deal, announced Tuesday by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), calls for spending levels for the 2014 and 2015 fiscal years slightly above the cap established by the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester. The Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity and Heritage Action — well-financed conservative advocacy groups that can influence Republican primary voters — have begun lobbying furiously against the modest government funding agreement.
